This invention concerns baby strollers, and in particular an auxiliary, detachable, deployable side seat for accommodating a second child on a baby stroller.
Baby strollers have appeared in a number of different configurations. In recent years the great majority have been fold-up strollers, in a variety of mechanical arrangements. Often the parent pushing the stroller has a second young child along, and if this second child tires of walking, an additional seat on the stroller would be very useful. However, this is difficult to provide on a foldable stroller, typically light in weight and not with a sufficiently sturdy frame to support a second seat for a usually heavier second child. A number of child strollers, however, have included permanent seats for two or more children, especially infants. Some have had the seats in tandem and some side by side.
The following patents and applications show different approaches to providing an auxiliary second seat or a standing platform, usually for a child, on a baby stroller or other pushed wheeled device: international pub. Nos. WO 2005/105546 and WO 2003/020568, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,746,079, 6,530,591, 6,378,892, 5,622,375, 4,779,883, 4,288,124, 3,000,645, 1,212,221, U.S. application pub. No. US 2007/01146738, and Japan pub. No. JP2005349996.
Of the above patents and applications, WO 2005/105546 shows a deployable auxiliary side seat for a folding-type baby stroller, secured to the side of the baby stroller, with the child to be facing forward and beside the infant in the stroller, and with a single wheel. The auxiliary seat was designed to be attached to several different models of strollers. However, the means of attachment to the stroller and the single wheel seemed to render that device less stable than desired according to the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,746,079 shows a folding seat attachable to a luggage cart, such as an airport luggage cart. The seat faces to the side, but it is designed to be deployed as a stationary seat, not one for carrying a rider.
The invention described below provides an easily attached, optionally deployable side seat for a stroller, particularly of the folding type, such that the stroller with the side seat is stable and easily operated, while being compactly retained against the side of the stroller in a stowed configuration.